I am text block. Click edit button to change this text. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
Every winter, a grey haze settles over Punjab. Schools close, hospitals fill with people struggling to breathe, and no single fix is enough. Here is where the OxyGenix Tree, a locally built liquid tree, fits in.
A winter problem that keeps coming back
In November 2024, Lahore’s Air Quality Index (AQI) rose above 1,000, according to reports citing IQAir data. Lahore regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities.
Smog is more than a seasonal inconvenience. It is a public health challenge that needs several solutions working together. One of them is the OxyGenix Tree, described as Pakistan’s first EPA-certified liquid tree, developed by Terra Spark, a sustainability and climate-tech company based in Faisalabad. It uses a microalgae-based system.
Where does smog come from?
“Smog” combines “smoke” and “fog.” In Punjab’s winter, fine particles (PM2.5), gases and smoke get trapped close to the ground. Punjab’s Smog Control Strategy 2024–25 breaks emissions down by sector:
Crop-residue burning, brick kilns, waste burning and older diesel vehicles add to the load. Research points to a large share coming from domestic sources, though regional pollution plays a part too.
The takeaway: smog has many sources. No single ban or machine solves it. Progress needs emission controls, policy enforcement and cleaner technology together.
The cost: lives, years and money
The World Health Organization links PM2.5 exposure to cardiovascular and respiratory disease and lung cancer. It estimates that outdoor air pollution caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2019.
Why planting trees alone is not enough
Trees remain the best long-term answer, and plantation drives must continue. But a young sapling absorbs far less carbon than a mature tree and takes years to make a visible difference. Rooftops, mall courtyards, campuses and factory grounds often have no room for a forest.
That gap is what green technology is meant to fill. Officials describing Punjab’s liquid tree project say it is meant to complement tree plantation in urban areas where large-scale afforestation is not feasible. It adds to forests. It does not replace them.
What is a liquid tree?
A liquid tree is a photobioreactor: a transparent tank of water holding microalgae. Through photosynthesis, the algae take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. It is a compact, controllable unit that can go where a tree cannot grow.
OxyGenix Tree: Terra Spark’s liquid tree for Pakistan
The OxyGenix Tree is Terra Spark’s flagship product: a smart, AI-integrated bio-reactor designed, developed and tested in Faisalabad. It reports what it is doing through live sensors and a dashboard, so results can be checked instead of taken on trust.
- Air intakeThe unit draws in the air around it.
- Microalgae systemAn algae consortium absorbs CO₂ and releases oxygen.
- Sensor layerSensors track air quality, temperature, humidity, CO₂ levels and the unit’s own performance.
- DashboardData goes to the cloud and shows up as live monitoring, alerts and trends.
Algae chosen for Pakistan’s conditions
Researchers collected more than 100 microalgae species from across Pakistan and tested their carbon-capture ability over seven months. The best performer came from Sukkur and was cultivated with support from Government College University Faisalabad.
How a deployment works
Before installation, Terra Spark assesses the site for visibility, power access, pollution levels and foot traffic. Afterwards, the dashboard is set up for real-time tracking, and pilot data guides where to expand next. Likely users include smart-city projects, universities, climate events, factories and corporate offices with CSR programmes.
From pilot to policy
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced Pakistan’s first EPA-certified liquid tree, described as the first technology to receive Punjab EPA certification since 1987. The certified unit moves from Faisalabad to Lahore, with the first phase placing liquid trees in major shopping malls and public spaces.
Terra Spark signed a Technology Transfer Agreement with Government College University Faisalabad for an algae-based bioreactor.
Terra Spark named Meridian Power Pvt. Ltd. its exclusive authorized solutions provider for public-sector collaboration.
Terra Spark CEO Dr. Sarfraz Ahmad says the unit has formal EPA certification and takes up much less space than conventional trees.
Cleaner air needs many tools
Smog will not end with one machine. It needs stricter enforcement on transport, industry and crop burning, more trees, and technology that works where trees cannot. The OxyGenix Tree belongs in that last group: a compact, certified, data-reporting unit.
A fair caveat: carbon capture and smog are not the same thing. Smog is mostly fine particles, so a unit’s results should be judged with pollutant-specific measurements. That is why the live dashboard matters.
Want to pilot OxyGenix Tree?
Contact the Terra Spark team to discuss site assessment, deployment planning and how OxyGenix Tree can support your campus, facility or city’s sustainability goals.
